by Fanny Finch
When dinner was finished, Julia summoned her mother and they split up into four for bridge.
Georgiana did not speak to Captain Trentworth for the rest of the night. It was all very nice, overall. A lovely evening. She liked everyone well enough.
Miss Everett and Mr. Norwich were her favorites of the new people. Mr. Tomlinson she could not figure out and Miss Perry was rather too childish and unthinking in her behavior and comments for Georgiana to completely fall for her.
But Captain Trentworth…
He was the same as ever. Or so it seemed to her. He was older but his personality retained all the things that she had loved about it.
He was quiet but offered up an insightful or witty comment or two when the occasion called for it. He spoke the least out of everyone that evening, but it was clear that he put great thought into the things that he did say.
That was one of the things that Georgiana had loved about him. Indeed, it was one of the first things that had drawn her to him and caught her attention about him.
There was not a word wasted with him. Unlike many who spoke merely for the sake of saying something or did not think their comments through fully before they spoke.
What wisdom, she had thought all those years ago. To know that it is better to wait and think it all through and miss one’s chance, than to say too much or to say the wrong thing.
She still thought it was wise. But now she wondered what all it was that he was not saying.
Was he thinking about her? Or had he dismissed her from his thoughts? Was his silence when the conversation turned her way simply because he had nothing to say? Or did he have things to say, but things that were far from appropriate in polite company?
She did not know, and that terrified her.
When the time came for everyone to depart, the ladies were enthusiastic in their goodbyes. “We shall call upon you tomorrow,” Miss Everett assured them.
Mr. Tomlinson was also enthusiastic in his farewell. “I greatly look forward to seeing you at our next get-together,” he told her.
Mr. Norwich was reserved but warm in his farewell.
And then there was Captain Trentworth.
He said a verbal farewell to Julia. But to Georgiana, he simply bowed, and then left.
Georgiana felt as though she might be sick.
“I think that went rather well, don’t you?” Julia asked as the door closed behind their guests.
Georgiana simply stared at her.
They were most certainly going to have a talk.
Chapter 6
Robert sagged against the door of his bedroom the moment that it was closed.
Miss Georgiana Reginald.
She had been there.
He ought to have known. He ought to have not trusted Miss Weston on this whole thing. Of course she would have some kind of scheme cooked up.
What was she thinking? Miss Reginald obviously had no idea that he was going to be there. And he was just as flabbergasted.
To spring such a surprise upon both of them in such a manner was most frustrating. He would counsel her on it, if it were his place. But he was not her brother, her father, or her counsellor. He had no right.
He only hoped that Miss Reginald would say something to Miss Weston about it. She was a sensible woman, or he remembered her as one at least. And they were close friends.
If anyone could say something to Miss Weston about not meddling in such a manner, it would be her.
But oh. Age had not disgraced her. It had only made her lovelier.
Miss Reginald was possessed of the kind of elegant beauty that only came into its own as she matured. It was quiet, a sort of graceful, ethereal beauty. Not the lively kind that was vibrant when one was young and then gone so quickly and easily.
When he had seen her, his breath had caught in his throat.
She reminded him of a lily flower. The pale, almost white blonde hair. The icy blue eyes. The pale skin and swanlike neck. The smooth, flowing manner in which she moved.
In that moment he had realized that he was certainly not over her. He had suspected, of course. But seeing her had confirmed it.
His feelings for her were just as strong as they had been when he had left her all those years ago.
Robert scoffed. He had left her? She had left him first.
He might have left the country, but it was his duty. His career. She had broken off their engagement. She had ended it. Not him.
What was he supposed to do? He could not simply leave. That would be incredibly rude not only to Miss Weston but to all the other people that would be expecting him.
He also suspected that the two men would need some help in handling Miss Perry. She was a rather enthusiastic young woman. The kind who wanted nothing more than to have all attention on her—especially the attention of the gentlemen around her.
It was not something that he could exactly blame her for. It was her career, almost, to find a husband and secure her future. But there was a way to go about it with grace and dignity.
Miss Perry had not yet managed that.
Still, there was no harm in her. It was only that she had to be handled evenly among the three men.
Miss Everett was a lovely and witty young woman. She had a tough skin, something that he appreciated.
She was the kind of woman that he could depend upon to behave the way that she said that she would. She was blunt without being malicious. The sort of woman, honestly, that he theoretically would consider as a potential wife.
If only Miss Reginald were not there. Why was she not yet married? Surely someone else had seen her grace, her beauty, her thoughtfulness.
He could see how much it cost her. Those comments that Miss Perry had made were not meant unkindly. But he had seen how they had hurt Miss Reginald.
He had wanted to leap to her defense. And he would have, had things not been as they were. He would not allow her to think that he still cared for her.
After all, it was clear that she did not still care for him.
She had been polite enough to him all throughout the evening. But of course she would be. She was raised well and was an elegant woman. She would never let her frustration or anger show in such a manner.
But he had noticed that she had never once looked at him during dinner. She had not even addressed him.
It was easy to miss if one did not know her well and was not looking for such a thing. Miss Reginald did not speak often. Usually it was in response to a direct question or comment aimed at her.
But he had noticed. He knew her.
Once, they would look at one another periodically at dinner or in a ballroom when they were thinking the same thing. It had felt as though they were synchronized. They would look at one another and be having a private conversation all of their own.
Comments, reactions to the things said around them… it was all said silently between them, just with their eyes.
Now she would not even look at him.
It was a sign, to him, of how firmly she had placed him out of her thoughts.
When she had broken off their engagement she had clearly set him aside in her heart as well as socially. He should have known that, of course.
But he had been hoping, without even realizing that he had been doing so. And now he had to swallow his disappointment and move on.
It would not be easy to do. Not with her right in front of him so intimately for the next few weeks. But he would manage. He had to manage.
He had been in the war, for goodness’ sake. Surely he could nurse a broken heart. One that had been broken for quite some time. This was nothing new to him. He would be just fine.
If only he could truly believe that.
Chapter 7
Georgiana turned and leveled a stern look at Julia. “What exactly did you think that you would accomplish by this?”
Julia smiled at her. “Are you not surprised?”
“Surprised? Yes. Pleased? Not in the slightest.”
; Julia sighed. “Georgiana. You must see that this is a second chance!”
“A second chance to live through my heartbreak? A second chance to be humiliated?” Georgiana felt near tears.
It was so rare for her to cry. She would not be doing so over something that should not even be making her so upset.
“You misled me, Julia. You deliberately held back information from me. Information that you knew would greatly affect me. I felt like such a fool when I saw him.
“I was unprepared. I was scrambling to cover my emotions. I had no idea what to do or to say. I must have looked like a proper fool to him.”
“So you do still have feelings for him?” Julia asked eagerly.
Georgiana narrowed her eyes at her. “No. You are not allowed to matchmake. That is not happening here. I don’t know what stories you’ve heard or fanciful novels you’ve been reading lately but that is not how this works.
“I will not allow you to use me or the good captain for your own amusement. We are not characters. We are not in your imagination. We are flesh and blood people and we will not be toyed with or manipulated.
“He does not love me. His behavior made that quite clear. And why should he? I rejected him. I hurt him and told him that he was not good enough for me.”
“That is not what you said. You had to obey your father. How on earth could you possibly go against him? You did what you thought was best.
“It was not because you did not love him. Surely he has to know that. Surely he must see that—”
“He does not have to see anything, Julia. I turned him away. In his mind, that says that I did not, and do not, love him.
“He believed that if I truly cared for him I would have defied my father. Whether it is right or it is wrong, that is what he believed.”
“And I think that is unfair to you. And besides, your father is dead now! And Edward would never go against such a match. He is a good man and would take good care of you. You would be provided for. And what is more, you love him. Edward would surely give his blessing.”
“He is not going to ask me again, Julia. And your meddling is not going to go unnoticed by him. He will be cross with you and he will have a right to be.”
Julia finally seemed to be starting to understand how upset this had made Georgiana. And how unfair it was to both her and to Captain Trentworth.
“I’m sorry,” Julia said softly. “I did not mean to be cruel. You know that I wouldn’t mean that.
“I only thought that I ought to get you two back together. That if I did, there would be that spark once again. That you two only needed to be together in a room.
“But I knew that if I told one of you that the other would be there, then you wouldn’t have come. You would avoid it. And how else was I supposed to give you the second chance that you both deserve?”
Georgiana sighed. “I understand that you had good intentions, Julia. You always do. But did you not think of how awkward it would be for us to see one another for the first time with no preparation?
“The last time that we saw one another, I was rejecting his proposal. Breaking off our engagement. Telling him that he wasn’t good enough in the eyes of my father and that I had to go with my father’s wishes.
“It was years ago, I know. But that doesn’t change how awful it was for both of us. It was the hardest thing that I ever had to do.
“I can only imagine how much it hurt him. And now to have to see me again…” Her voice failed her and she had to stop.
Julia gently placed her hands on either side of Georgiana’s upper arms. “Oh, my dear. You are still quite in love with him, aren’t you? All of this time?”
Georgiana nodded. She did not trust herself to speak. She stared at a spot on the wall over Julia’s shoulder. If she looked her friend in the eye, she knew that she would burst into tears.
“Is that why you truly have not married?” Julia asked. “You could not give your heart to anyone else?”
“That is part of it, yes,” Georgiana admitted. “I could not give my heart and I think that men have noticed it. It does not help that I am quiet by nature, I think.”
“I ought to have been throwing these things for you much sooner,” Julia said sadly. “You really are not the type of woman who stands out at her best during a ball, I’m afraid.”
Georgiana shook her head. No, she truly was not.
“I know that it is foolish of me to hold myself back all of this time,” she said. “I ought to have been working hard to get a husband. I have been horribly lazy about it.
“But how could I trust that my father would not reject yet another man that I fell for? And I was so selfish. I could not bring myself to marry a man for whom I held no affection.”
“Do not beat yourself up about it, my dear. It is understandable.”
“Understandable, perhaps. Stupid, certainly.”
Julia sighed, dropping her hands. “You are as always too hard on yourself. We all hope for love.”
“But hope is not the same thing as reality. I ought to have done more to avoid this. Now I am headed for spinsterhood.”
“Do not say such a thing.”
“Do not speak the truth? You heard Miss Perry tonight. She did not mean to be cruel but we all know to what she was referring.”
“She is a silly girl, Georgiana.”
“From the mouth of babes, Julia.”
“You are a stubborn creature, did you know that?” Julia smiled fondly. “You are quieter than your brother but you are his sibling. You are your father’s daughter. You have that streak of iron in you.”
“I did not have it when it mattered,” Georgiana said with a sigh.
“How could you have gone against your father? No. You did what you knew that you had to do.
“Now, I will have no more of you thinking such awful things about yourself. I apologize for my misstep. My intentions were pure, I swear. I only wanted you and the good captain to be happy. I care for him and I love you dearly, as you know.
“But I see now that I was wrong to surprise you both in such a manner. I hope that you will handle my mishap with grace. But please do not take this as an opportunity to list all the reasons why you feel that you have failed.
“You have done the best that you could with the choices that were before you. And surely that is all that we can ask of ourselves in life.”
Georgiana nodded. She would do her best. But it would not be easy. Not when the reason for her shame would be right in front of her all the time. Hating her.
“Let us go up to bed,” Julia advised. She was still speaking in that soft, soothing tone. “A good night’s rest and everything will seem better in the morning. You will see.”
Georgiana doubted that. But then, she had said much the same thing to Maria after that horrid night where Edward had chastised her so awfully.
Everything had turned out better in the morning for Maria and Edward. Perhaps Georgiana needed to have a little faith that things would turn out all right for herself as well.
She nodded. “Very well. I will see you in the morning then.”
“I look forward to it. We shall go looking at possible places for you to live, does that sound nice?”
Georgiana had the suspicion that she was being placated, but she was too exhausted to mind. “That would be lovely, dear. Thank you.”
As she climbed up to bed, she was already dreading the next morning. Hopefully everything would seem better, as Julia had said.
Perhaps, if nothing else, she and Captain Trentworth could end this as friends. That would be the best that she could hope for at this stage. But she was determined to try.
Offering him up genuine friendship was the least that she could do after she had treated him so unfairly all those years ago.
Yes. That was the least that she could do. She would try and be a good friend to him. Since she had failed to be a good wife.
Chapter 8
Robert went to handle some business with Mr. Norwich
in the morning.
He was grateful for the other man’s help in all of this. He was not used to dealing with this sort of thing. Mr. Norwich was being most helpful.
After their business was concluded, Mr. Norwich went off to see some acquaintances while Robert took a walk through town. He wanted to get familiar with it, the feel of it, the streets and turns.